Are you walking the path you want to be traversing? Would you choose a different path? We’re all walking a path at the moment. But the question is: Is this the path you prefer?
Years ago, I felt I had no control over the path of life I was walking on. I felt like I was just dragged along, whether I enjoyed it or not.
Many of us feel like that, at least some of the time. How do we take control of our path? One thing that helps is meditation. This clears the mind of the distractions and helps us focus on the important elements of life.
For a little extra help you can say this blessing upon yourself.
A Blessing for Success and Strength
I call upon the power of the Gods and the mighty ones that I may be blessed.
Blessed be my mind, that it be clear of all distractions. Focused on its sacred purpose.
Blessed be my eyes, that they see without hate, and that they see my correct path.
Blessed be my lips, that they speak with strength, beauty, kindness and truth.
Blessed be my voice, that it be clear and strong and that it not shake in fear from adversity or from facing closed minds.
Blessed be my heart, that I always have love and compassion for myself and others.
Blessed be my arms, that they carry my burdens with strength and ease.
Blessed be my hands, that they work and create with purpose, steadily and honorably.
Blessed be my knees, that they not tremble with fear when hardships come my way.
Blessed be my feet, that they do not waver, but walk on the sacred path of light with surefootedness and purpose.
I have found that using empowering words in meditation is so helpful to turn the direction of one’s thoughts.
What words do you use to empower yourself?
Blessed Be,
Moonwater
Remember to give the gift of The Hidden Children of the Goddess this Yule.
How did you find the Wiccan faith? Was it through a personal connection or was it through a book or website?
Wiccans until recently were hard to find. Many followers of the path work in secret, in the shadows. Why have all the secrecy?
This secrecy was vital because throughout history and even to this present day Wiccans (and other pagans) have been and continue to be discriminated against.
Face it, we are still a minority faith in this world. Most practitioners prefer to stay in the shadows because of the possibility of retaliation and prejudice found in family, school, work, and the general public. We know too well that there are general misconceptions and fear about the Craft. So many Wiccans practice in the shadow. (After all, I call my blog and my book The Hidden Children of the Goddess.)
So how is one to find a reliable teacher while so many teachers practice in the shadows?
You need some initial education. Books can be a great way to start. Read a bunch of books and you will start to see a pattern. Your intuition will alert you to who really knows valuable material and who may be offering faulty information.
Here is a good reading list to start your path. Those of you who have been on the path for a time may want to revisit some of these books. It’s important to have a good foundation in the Craft before moving on to the more advanced practices.
Ferrar, Janet and Stewart. Eight Sabbats for Witches, Revised Edition. Phoenix Publishing, WA, 1988.
Ferrar, Janet and Stewart. The Witches’ God: Lord of the Dance. Phoenix Publishing, WA, 1989.
Ferrar, Janet and Stewart. The Witches’ Goddess: The Feminine Principle of Divinity. Phoenix Publishing, WA, 1987.
Ferrar, Stewart. What Witches Do. Robert Hale, 2010.
Fitch, Ed. A Grimoire of Shadows: Witchcraft, Paganism & Magick. Llewellyn Publications, 1996.
Frazer, James George. The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion, A New Abridgement from the 2nd and 3rd Editions. OxfordUniversityPress, USA, 2009.
Gardner, Gerald. High Magic’s Aid. Aurinia Books, 2010.
Gardner, Gerald. The Meaning of Witchcraft. Red Wheel/Weiser, 2004.
Gardner, Gerald. Witchcraft Today. Citadel, 2004.
Giles, Cynthia. The Tarot: History, Mystery, and Lore. Touchstone, 1994.
Graves, Robert. The White Goddess: A Historical Grammar of Poetic Myth, Amended and Enlarged Edition. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1966.
Leland, Charles G. Aradia or The Gospel Of The Witches. Kessinger Publishing LLC, 2010.
Lipp, Deborah. The Way of Four: Create Elemental Balance in Your Life. Llewellyn Publications, 2004.
Marcoux, Tom. Darkest Secrets of Spiritual Seduction Masters: How to Protect Yourself, Boost Your Psychological Immune System and Strengthen Your Spirit. Tom Marcoux Media, LLC, 2011.
McCoy, Edain. Sabbats: A Witch’s Approach to Living the Old Ways. Llewellyn Publications, 2001.
Murray, Margaret Alice. The God of the Witches. NuVision Publications, 2009.
Neal, Carl. The Magick Toolbox: The Ultimate Compendium for Choosing and Using Ritual Implements and Magickal Tools. Samuel Weiser, 2004.
Russell, Jeffrey B. and Alexander, Brooks. A History of Witchcraft: Sorcerers, Heretics & Pagans, 2nd Edition. Thames & Hudson, 2007.
Starhawk. The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Goddess: 20th Anniversary Edition. HarperOne, 1999.
Sylvan, Dianne. The Circle Within: Creating a Wiccan Spiritual Tradition. Llewellyn Publications, 2003.
Tognetti, Arlene. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Tarot, 2nd Edition. ALPHA, 2003.
Tognetti, Arlene and Flynn, Carolyn. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Tarot Spreads Illustrated. ALPHA, 2006.
Valiente, Doreen. An ABC of Witchcraft Past and Present. Phoenix Publishing, WA, 1988.
Valiente, Doreen. Natural Magic. Robert Hale, 1999.
Valiente, Doreen. Witchcraft for Tomorrow. Robert Hale, 1993.
Wood, Robin. Robin Wood Tarot: The Book. Robin Wood Enterprises, 1998.
Wood, Robin. When, Why … If. Robin Wood Enterprises, 1997.
Once you have read a number of books, you will have a basic familiarity with the Craft. Next, find a mentor in the particular Tradition (type) of Wicca you want to study.
The Witches’ Voice (witchvox.com) is a great place to read more articles and to network for new connections. You can find people who have taken the giant step (and risks) to be known in the community.
Observe carefully. Use your basic familiarity with the Craft and your intuition to find someone who you feel is a good match for your next steps in learning.
Each Tradition does the Craft a little differently. It’s not that one particular Tradition’s ritual is “wrong” compared to another Tradition. There are many ways of doing the same thing correctly.
How did you come to know the Craft? Let me know in the comments section. Thank you.
Have you recently had to make some choices that brought you stress?
Stress can tell us a lot. We can see what is important to us. In this way, stress can actually guide us to the secrets of our hearts. How? We wouldn’t be feeling stressed out about something if we didn’t think it is important and it’s being threatened.
Once we know what we value, we can better set our course through life.
You see, what we need is clarity.
This is where the Gods can help.
If you’re under pressure and feeling the burden of stress, you can ask the Gods for clarity.
Why is clarity so important? When you can see things clearly, you can make a plan and take appropriate action. Those two things will reduce your stress.
One of the best ways to do that is through meditation. Here is a simple meditation to ask the Gods for their guidance.
For all meditations, follow these simple guidelines.
Find a place where you will not be disturbed for the entire meditation.
Turn off the ringer of your cell phone.
Take a sitting position where your spine is straight and your feet are flat on the floor.
Dim the lights.
Asking the Gods for Guidance – The Meditation
Start by breathing in and out deeply.
With each breath in, pull in relaxation.
With each breath out, release the stresses of the day.
Visualize breathing in the light of the Gods, soothing you.
And picture that with each breath out, you’re expelling a black cloud of stress.
Keep breathing–in and out, in and out.
And as you keep breathing in and out deeply,
Notice now that the light begins to fade around you.
Slowly at first, it gets darker and darker — until you are in total darkness, and you’re feeling safe and secure in the darkness.
Then . . . a new light blooms around you, slowly at first, but gradually it gets brighter and brighter.
You see that you are in the middle of a circle of standing stones. This great henge protects you from all bad entities.
In the middle of this henge rests a large stone altar. You walk to it and sit in front of the altar.
Now you ask the Gods for their guidance.
As you sit, you notice two loving energies beside you.
One is the Goddess and the other one is the God.
You ask them for their help and they lovingly answer your request.
(Pause for a time to hear their guidance.)
Having gifted you with their guidance, they bid you farewell.
Now it’s time to return from where you came.
Notice the light starts to dim until you are in total darkness, where you feel safe and secure.
Then . . . a familiar light returns, slowly at first, but gradually it gets brighter and brighter.
Open your eyes; you are back in the room and safe.
Note: After completing your meditation, light a candle to the Gods to thank them for their guidance.
With the Gods help, you make great decisions, creating your life of happiness.
The Gods are always there to help you. All you need is to ask for their help. You can go to them for help about anything you need.
Knowing this now, what guidance would you seek from the Gods?
What Can a Redwood Tree Teach Us about Life and Wicca?
Have you noticed that certain small things can grow much larger in your life? Think of a seed that eventually grows into a mighty redwood tree.
Decisions are like seeds. They have the potential to grow into something so much bigger.
I remember an important seed in my life: my decision to learn about one particular word—Wicca. From there I grew in my practice to become a Wiccan priestess.
My first decision, like a seed, grew into my life path.
Think about your decisions. What have you grown in your life?
Further, imagine looking at a cross section of a redwood tree. You’d notice the rings of the tree that reveal its lifecycle.
Now, think of these rings as different layers just like your life has different layers or stages.
At each “ring” or life stage, we’re making new decisions.
Some decisions make us resilient like a redwood tree. When there’s a fire in a forest, a tree may be damaged. After the trauma has passed, the redwood tree may bear the scars. But this tree can bounce back and become bigger and mightier than before.
You can, too! In Wicca, we use the tools of meditation and the Gods’ guidance to become that mighty redwood.
In the recent couple of days, I have been camping among redwood trees. A park ranger told me that the cones of a redwood tree need the heat of a forest fire in order to open and release their seeds. What a vivid image. Trauma can be used for new life.
A major trauma in your life can create new growth for you personally. With each wrong choice or even a disaster, we have the potential to grow to our mightiest form.
Redwood trees teach us much about personal growth, and they can teach us a great deal more.
How You Can Use Something Better Than an Affirmation
What do you want? Have you tried to coach yourself to change your own behavior?
Some people attempt to push themselves with statements like: “I’m a thin person.”
Well, I’ll tell you the truth. When I tell myself, “I’m a thin person,” my brain yells at me: “Oh, yeah! Look in the mirror!”
The phrase “I’m a thin person” is called an affirmation. In essence, a person tries to “affirm” something that currently is not true.
No wonder so many people say, “Affirmations don’t work for me.”
This bothered me so I came up with some new ideas before I gave my recent workshop on October 19th. The tool I created is a Pattern-Affirmation. (In discussion with my friend Tom Marcoux, he gave me two labels “Pattern-Affirmation” and “Wish-Affirmation” to add to my thoughts).
In essence, a Wish-Affirmation is truly a standard affirmation that people try to use, often with disappointing results.
A Wish-Affirmation is: “I’m a thin person.”
On the other hand, a “Pattern-Affirmation” is: “I eat like a 130 lbs. person.” Or better yet “I have a lifestyle of a 130 lbs. person.”
Do you see the distinction?
A Wish-Affirmation is something you aspire to.
Instead, a Pattern-Affirmation is something that can be true right away. You can exhibit a different behavior now. Your very next action can contribute to your healthy lifestyle.
You can even apply the Pattern-Affirmation process to having financial abundance.
For example, a Wish-Affirmation could be “I am wealthy.” On the other hand, a Pattern-Affirmation could be: “I’m careful with my personal budget like a prosperous person.”
First, be sure to pick a suitable Pattern-Affirmation. Remember, it needs to address a pattern of behavior you want to instill.
Here are examples:
I eat like a 130 lbs. person
I study one hour a day like a good student.
I listen to my daughter’s thoughts and feelings like a good father.
Now, when you begin your ritual, cast circle.
Cleanse and consecrate your candle. Sit and hold your candle and meditate on your Pattern-Affirmation for five minutes or more.
Take the candle and place it on your altar. Say aloud your Pattern-Affirmation as you light the candle. Visualize that you’re guiding energy into the candle.
(Repeat the following process for seven days in a row:
Let the Seven Day Candle burn one knob per day. Each day, repeat the above process of meditating on your Pattern-Affirmation for five minutes or more.)
On the first day, after the first knob has burned down, do Cakes and Wine and then close the circle. Repeat the candle-lighting and knob-burning down for six more days.
Using this new tool of a Pattern-Affirmation Ritual, we will grow in new and exciting ways.
If you try the Pattern-Affirmation Ritual, please let me know about your results. Thanks!
How could a problem be like a piñata? Problems seem to come out of nowhere. At times we swing at them with seemingly no effect. It can feel like we’re blindfolded.
The truth is: the Gods have hidden secret goodies inside of problems. Lessons and blessings are packed inside problems, just like candy and small gifts are inside piñatas. We just need to know that the goodies are there and how to see them.
To solve a problem, keep swinging at it. However, a problem (piñata) doesn’t stay still. And that’s akin to a problem that is hard to solve. We may have to extend a lot of effort to solve a particular problem.
Just when I think I’ll solve it, a problem evolves or moves to a different level of complexity. Just like piñatas rise or fall to different positions. The little buggers can move on you.
So how do you solve the piñata or problem? With a bat or stick, of course.
We use different tools in our lives to solve our problems. Sometimes we use magick, but many times we use mundane or ordinary actions. We can use a combination of the two. Sometimes we need the Gods’ help to swing our bat. As Wiccans we have many bats to choose from.
First, I employ mundane actions to solve a problem. If that fails, I get a different bat, magick. Since magick comes in many forms, it’s like having a bunch of bats to choose from.
You can call on the Gods for particularly tough problems. The Gods won’t solve your problems for you, but they will guide you. They help you aim your bat at your piñata. The Gods also teach us how to extract the knowledge that is within the problem.
Many swings may be necessary to solve a problem to receive the insights, blessings and lessons within. Once you solve the problem or open the piñata, you can partake of the blessings.
Sometimes we have a hard time telling which parts are the prize and which are not. When blessings and lessons are obscured, you can ask the Gods for insights through meditation.
Some problems are packed full of blessings in disguise. Others contain just a few nuggets of wisdom. However all are valuable in our growth. I’ve noticed that the harder it is to acquire the goodies, the better they usually are. But not always.
Solving problems is how we learn throughout life. In this way, we grow into new levels of understanding. We also grow more proficient in swinging a bat.
Life comes with many piñatas. When we step into a new stage of life, a piñata gives us new challenges and gifts. In this process, we can continue stepping up our knowledge and understanding of our world and our lives.
What problems have you had in your life and what gifts were hidden inside for you to harvest? Please share in the comments section.
Perhaps you’ve noticed our new logo for this blog. It is the heron. Why this particular bird? The heron has been a representation of the Goddess for a long time. Below is the heron’s story as told by my friend Kay Pannell.
Ardea
The name Ardea Herodotus is the Linnaean classification for the heron. The Ancient Greek historian, Herodotus, wrote in the 8th Century BC. His history of the fall of Troy included this:
After the fall of Troy, Prince Aeneas traveled to the area around Rome. One of the lands he visited was the land of the Rutuli, whose capitol was Ardea and whose ruler was Turnus. Turnus had been betrothed to Livinia, daughter of a neighboring king.
Unfortunately, the king decided to give her to Aeneas instead. (You’d think after Aeneas’s brother Paris took Helen of Troy away from her husband, King Menelaus of Sparta, he’d have wised up about taking a woman away from a man with an army—but no). A war ensued between Aeneas’s fleet and Turnus’s army. During the hostilities, the city of Ardea was burned. Herodotus reported that from the ashes of the city a white bird arose that no one had seen before. It was the heron, and for ever afterward, the heron was called Ardea. When Carl Linnaeus began his classification in the 17th Century, he called the heron, Ardea Herodotus, for the story.
The word, Ardea, also translates as “earth goddess” in Greek.
Written by Kay Pannell
Thanks, Kay.
This story is here to stay. I hope you enjoyed it. Now here’s my post for this week.
How to Give Back to the Gods
How do I give back to the Gods? It’s something I think about daily. When I was younger I had no idea. But then I encountered this quote:
Your talent is God’s gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God. – Leo Buscaglia
This hits the mark I think. We may not thing we have much to give back but all of us has something, our talent—the gifts the Gods have given us.
When we use our unique gifts to help others, the Gods smile upon us. For this is why we were given the gifts. To make each other’s lives more enjoyable.
Using your talents doesn’t mean you have to make it a business. You don’t need to produce products or live on a demanding schedule to serve others.
Maybe you like to cook or bake. Prepare some food and take it to a friend who is sick. Or take it to an elderly woman who lives alone and on a fixed income. This will mean a lot to someone who needs something but has no other way to get it. (Be careful to ask about dietary needs and allergies to guard the person’s health.)
If you don’t cook, do you play music? Go to a children’s hospital and play for the kids. You don’t need to book gigs and have tons of followers. You’ll still make an important difference in the hospital.
Can’t think of some particular gift to share? Donate some of your time and do volunteer work for some charity. For example, I donated time at The Peninsula Humane Society. I helped with the small animals.
Now, I write this blog. This came as a surprise because of my dyslexia. But I was led to writing by the Gods themselves. It’s hard to argue with that.
But you don’t need the Gods’ intervention to tell you what to share with others. Try something. You won’t know what is a helpful activity until you experiment a little.
On Monday September 23rd, I was reminded of the importance of celebrating small victories.
Life is meant to be celebrated.
In the days before September 23rd, I was running frantically with so much to do: Getting ready for my upcoming Oct. 19th workshop (in California) and getting my first workbook completed and then available for people to purchase online (available here). I was tired.
I took a belly-flop on the couch. I expected my sweetheart to offer me at least a score of “9.2” for my maneuver.
Instead, he asked, “How are we going to celebrate?” It had been months of work on my workbook with my sweetheart editing portions of the book daily.
Celebrate? I was exhausted and I could only think of the rehearsals for my workshop and other projects with deadlines.
Still, he was right (Don’t tell him.) It’s important to pause and celebrate a little success.
Along the same lines, my sweetie writes in his daily gratitude journal–that’s where you note what you’re grateful for. Perhaps, you had a good phone call with a friend. Maybe you took a walk for exercise. He writes in his gratitude journal just before he goes to sleep each night.
It’s so easy to forget the blessings in our lives. They happen everyday. Some may be small but they are there. However, many of us only remember the things that troubled us during the day.
It’s like a stubbed toe that screams pay attention. But we miss acknowledging all the other toes that are just fine. We concentrate on that which gives us pain.
But what about the joys in our day? The cat that purrs with affection as you caress it; your partner smiles in the morning; and you hear your favorite song on the radio. How about when your loved one makes your favorite meal?
I invite you to push forward the joys and blessing of your day. Pause. Pay attention. Push the “stubbed toe” into the background.
How do we push the joys and blessings forward? Write in your gratitude journal. Then you’ll think about your day in a different way. Sometimes, I think of a day as glancing out the window and seeing two things: a pile of garbage next to a glorious rose. When you write in your gratitude journal, you’re looking at the rose.
When I write down the “roses” of my day, I’m always surprised about how many actually occurred.
How about you? How many positive things are in your life right now? You’re reading this, so your eyes are working. You’re breathing. You’re probably looking forward to something even, perhaps, a favorite TV show.
I find that consciously choosing to look at the “roses” of life helps me focus on the beauty and joy that I experience. Soon after I started this writing in my gratitude journal, I realized that I didn’t just have one rose, I really had a rose garden.
Now, you can take this a step further. In addition to remembering the roses of your life, show your gratitude. Do a simple ritual at the end of your day. After noting my blessings in my gratitude journal, I take a candle and offer it as thanks to the Gods for the blessings I enjoyed.
Tea light candles work great for this. They are small and don’t take too long to burn. This way you don’t have a candle burning when no one is around. (Never leave a burning candle unattended.)
This candle is a small gesture to the Gods in thanks for all the blessings they provide. Since starting this ritual, I have noticed even more blessings occurring in my life.
The nice thing about this ritual is that it doesn’t take much time and it doesn’t require a big fanfare. As long as your ritual is heartfelt and sincere the Gods will be pleased.
If you live with someone who isn’t Wiccan, lighting a candle in not a big inconvenience. Simply let them know that this is a positive part of your daily life.
This ritual is a great way to say “I noticed” and “thanks” to the Gods. They will appreciate it. This ritual also helps you be happier and healthier.
Please leave a comment and let me know if you do something like this or if you have a different way to honor the blessings in your life. I’d love to hear your perspective. Thanks.
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